Tokyo Day 11

The walls are thin in Japanese hotels.

I never should have disparaged drunks, because at approximately 3:30 last night, three of them returned to the room next to mine where they spoke (in English) for about half an hour and then proceeded to pass out with the television on. I know they were passed out and not just sleeping because I called their room and let the phone ring 20 times before I gave up. The movie they bought finished around 5:30, so it was then quiet enough to sleep.

I am prayingthey went back to whatever expat h...Read more

Happy New Year!!!

I am on my way out to Roppongi for New Year's dinner and... who knows?

You know what the only down side to this is?

I won't get to see thisin person:If you didn't have a bad heart, this would give you one.

If any of you have Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher" (the prof should be so lucky), go to 4:20 in the track, turn it up really loud, and you'll know exactly...Read more

Tokyo Day 10

I ate breakfast again today. But I did it all by myself, like a big boy!

Of course, it turned out to be shrimp tempura rice, but it was good.

The same Chinese (or so Kevin says) girl who was there yesterday was there today. More on that later.

I went on a 'farewell tour' of Ochanomizu, but most of the stores were closed. Some were open, however, and I noticed that all the other guitars I had looked at and thought of buying were gone. So its a good thing I grabbed the one I did.

Then I came back to my hote...Read more

Tokyo, Day 9

I ate breakfast!

Well, sort of...

I ate at breakfast time, but it wasn't really breakfast food. It was good, though!

It was right across the street from my hotel. Chicken (!) and rice, and mizo soup with some things Kevin claimed were highly nutritious. They tasted like potatoes to me, but hey, they're good for you too.

Then Kevin and I walked to the post office so I could mail myself some books and CDs and hopefully make weight at the airport. We'll see...

A little later, we headed out to M...Read more

Tokyo Day 8

You've probably never heard of Ken Adamany, but many of you have heardhim.

His is the voice that opens not only one of the greatest live albums ever, but one of the defining records of my generation:

"All right Tokyo! Are you ready? Will you welcome...

Epic recording artists... Cheap Trick!"

"I Want You to Want Me" (one of the few songs I could sing in Cantonese, given its paucity of verbiage) and "Ain't that a shame"  from At Budokanwere on the radio constantlyat the tail...Read more

Tokyo Day 7

I was up late last night writing that large entry for yesterday.

I got up early today, for reasons I am even now not certain of.

I spent the greater part of the day 'technology wrestling;' the Shaka Labbits CDs I bought had copy protection on them such that I couldn't rip them to my laptop for transferal to my MP3 player.

That's what the internet is for....  Luckily I had a black marker, and after a while I had managed to rip the CDs.

So around 2:30 I left the hotel with no plan in mind other tha...Read more

Tokyo Day 6

Not much to report, folks.

I went to Shibuya, Ochanomizu, and Shinjuku, looking at guitars and used CDs.

I found some good stuff. I had heard a band in a guitar shop in Ochanomizu and asked the guy (kid) working there to write down the name of the band and CD.

They're called Shakalabbits, and the CD is called Clutch. This is one of the songs:

http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=h5NnLpkSoZ4

I just really like it. Not even sure why. I gu...Read more

Make That Two Nights

http://blog.livedoor.jp/natsumenana/

Tokyo Day 5

What do you thinkI did this morning?

Yep, went to Shinjuku and Ochanomizu to look at guitars.

Didn't see...Read more

Tokyo, Day 4 - Christmas, Milk, and Soda Water

On this cold winter's night in Tokyo, my buttocks gently tingle with the vestigial titillation imparted by the sense that for two hours or so, in a strictly karmic manner, the entire universe puckered up and kissed my ass.

This feeling, however, was not because of the start of my day. I arose early enough, but dawdled at the computer waiting for 11AM, which is the magical hour when guitar shops open... I had a Christmas breakfast of a doughnut and some Pocari Sweat and I was off to look at guitars......Read more